Colin Kaepernick in charge: “You try to show them you should be the leader and you’re someone they can follow”

Colin Kaepernick is never going to be like Peyton Manning (or Russell Wilson) in one aspect: He’ll never glide into a news conference brimming with anecdotes, charm and full-length, pithy big-picture analysis, and he’ll never want to.

And Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke most assuredly won’t want him to, either.

That’s not who Kaepernick is, and that’s all good. But I’ll say this about Kaepernick’s time at the podium today, the first full day of 49ers training camp 2013:

He was much more relaxed and comfortable up there than he was at any point last season, up to and especially including the Super Bowl media sessions.

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He definitely was expansive (for him) talking about leadership qualities and the responsibility of the starting QB to be someone other players can follow…

–Transcript done by the AP’s Janie McCauley…

—COLIN KAEPERNICK presser transcript/

-Q: What do you think about all this hype around you from the middle of last season to now.

-KAEPERNICK: There’s just more opportunities to do things. For the most part for me, I’m worried about playing football.

-Q: How difficult was that transitioning to starter and all the media demands last year? Was that an awkward transition?

-KAEPERNICK: No, it wasn’t awkward. For the most part for me, I was worried about playing football, that was my only concern. Everything else was just extra.

-Q: How much do you think about the end of the Super Bowl?

-KAEPERNICK: I think about it a lot. I think about it to make sure that doesn’t happen again and I put our team in a better situation next time in a situation and we have an opportunity like that, so the outcome isn’t that way.

-Q: Last year you came in as the back-up. Now you’re the No. 1 right from the start. Does it feel different?

-KAEPERNICK: To me it’s football, football is football regardless. I’m here to work, I’m here to make sure I get better, to make sure I get myself ready to help lead this team.

-Q: How important do you think it is for the starting QB to have rapport with the rest of the locker room and display leadership?

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-KAEPERNICK: I think it’s very important, if your players, your teammates don’t respect you, and feel you’re someone they can come to, talk to, associate with, they’re not going to follow you, play as well for you on the field.

They’re not going to go out and perform for you. To me, if I can build that relationship and make sure my players and my teammates are comfortable and feel like I can help them be better on the field, I think they’re going to go out and perform better.

-Q: How do you do that? Conversations here or there, in the locker room?

-KAEPERNICK: There’s a lot of different ways you do it, from talking to them to going out and working hard at practice, showing them that you’re here to work and being willing to help them if they have questions.

Anything you can do to try to help them and show them you should be the leader and you’re someone they can follow.

-Q: Have you noticed a change in teammates seeking leadership from you?

-KAEPERNICK: Off the football field, we’re just having a good time together. When it comes to football, I think my teammates, yeah, I think they’re more comfortable with me. I think they have more confidence in me.

-Q: What do you need to improve?

-KAEPERNICK: Everywhere, it’s not something where I’m trying to get better at one thing. I’m trying to get better at every aspect of my game.

-Q: In the Super Bowl, you talked about not getting that play off in time in the last series. Was play calling in time something you worked on?

-KAEPERNICK: That was just one situation. But to be real honest the problem came in the first half when we didn’t perform well.

It didn’t come down to those last four plays. It came down to that first half when we didn’t put points on the board.

-Q: What was your reaction when you heard about Crabtree’s injury and what are your thoughts about how the other receivers are responding?

-KAEPERNICK: It’s a tragic situation to have that happen to a great player like Crab. At this point, people have to step up. Who that is will really depend on how this camp goes and what players show.

-Q: Has there been any creative feedback from your magazine cover by your teammates so far?

-KAEPERNICK: I haven’t had anything real bad yet, so I feel like they’re plotting on me right now.

-Q: Has the attention been a little surprising to you, whether it’s from the Dolphins cap or anything?

-KAEPERNICK: I don’t worry about that. I’m worried about playing football. I’m worried about making sure I’m ready to go on the field and perform.

-Q: Do you think defenses are adjusting to read option? And what do you do about it?

-KAEPERNICK: I think it’s a little bit of both. As a quarterback you know you have to be healthy to be able to help your team. Running down and taking a big hit from a linebacker or safety is not going to be in your best interest or the team’s. You have to be smart about it.

-Q: What’s the hardest you’ve been hit–college, high school, here?

-KAEPERNICK: College.

-Q: By?

-KAEPERNICK: Sean Weatherspoon. My sophomore year.

-Q: What happened?

-KAEPERNICK: On the run, got a clean shot, hit me kind of shoulders and head. Best lick I’ve taken.

-Q: Read option?

-KAEPERNICK: No, scramble.

-Q: Did you come right back?

-KAEPERNICK: Knock on wood I haven’t been knocked out yet.

-Q: Was Baltimore doing anything different in the Super Bowl–seemed like they had a guy hit you every time, whether you kept it or not. Is that tricky to deal with?

-KAEPERNICK: I’ve seen that before. So it wasn’t something new for me.

-Q: Do you think you’ll go to Anquan Boldin more with Crabtree out?

-KAEPERNICK: It depends on the play-calling and what the offense is trying to do. Crab was a hot receiver for a while so we went to him. He kept making plays so we kept going. This year, it really depends on what the offense is doing.

Anyone else still hungover from the Super Bowl? Football season can’t get here soon enough.

Niner

Sure would like it more if he talked less now and say whatever he wants after we win a Super Bowl. I remember joe Montana saying nothing while the sports media soiled themselves over Marino and duper et al.